The Royal Rascal
by tianaveen
Summary: While helping Tiana search for some lost earrings, Naveen stumbles across something Tiana wanted to keep secret. Fluff quickly follows.


"I will look in here, yes?" Naveen asked his wife, gesturing to the hall closet.

Tiana chewed on her thumbnail. "But why would I have put the earrings in there?" Her voice was threatening on hysteria. She took a deep breath, and willed herself to be calm.

"Because you must have put them somewhere," Naveen answered, "And we have looked in all the more plausible places. We might as well try the unplausible."

"I think you mean implausible," Tiana corrected gently, but sighed in defeat. He was right. And they had to find those earrings. If not… "Your mom is going to kill me if she finds out I've lost her grandmother's earrings."

"Firstly, they are not lost. They are misplaced." Naveen flipped on the light switch for the closet and flinched at the mess inside. "Second, while my mother can fly off the handle, as they say, I do not believe she is capable of murdering anyone. Not in the least her beloved daughter-in-law. And third, there is no reason for her to even find out about the earrings being misplaced, because we will find them." He reached up to take down a hat box, only to be rewarded by items that had been resting against it falling to the floor in a loud crash. Naveen flinched.

"But your parents are coming next week," Tiana said, too anxious to even acknowledge, let alone help him clean up the new mess. "I know she's going to ask about them. Did you see how big a deal she made when she gave them to be in the first place?"

Naveen waved away her concerns while he looked inside the hatbox. No earrings, but he had forgotten he even owned this hat. He needed to wear it more often. "She acts that way about every present she gives," he joked. "My mother could return something that you loaned her after keeping it for months, and still make it seem like she deserves a medal for it. And it is quite possible that she has been given one for that exact situation." He laughed and was pleased to see a small smile graced Tiana's lips. Naveen couldn't help but kiss them. "We will find them, princess. Do not worry."

Putting her nervous energy to good use, Tiana went to check her jewelry box (again) while Naveen was left with the colossal task of looking through the hall closet. Though it was his own idea to look everywhere, Naveen had his doubts about finding the earrings in this mess. But if it would make Tiana feel better he would do it.

And so he began, searching through every nook and cranny. Looking in their coat pockets, shoes, boots, and the lining of their hats led Naveen to a few discoveries: some scraps of paper that he had written song lyrics for and thought he had lost forever, an unopened bag of flour for some reason, and numerous pink items that Naveen could safely assume were Lottie's. All were helpful but not in this current predicament.

With one box left nestled deep in the corner of the closet, Naveen started to wonder where else they could look for those earrings. Even though he had joked earlier to Tiana, Naveen knew that his mother would not be pleased in the least if they couldn't find them. While he was fully prepared to take the blame for losing them if they couldn't be found, Naveen knew from experience how awful confrontations with his mother could be. So when he lifted the flap of that last box and found the earrings sparkling happily up at him, his relief was so immense that he almost missed something else that was nestled inside. And missing out on this would have been a tragedy indeed.

For what felt like the hundredth time Tiana emptied out her jewelry box and sorted through them looking for those damned earrings. Of course they weren't there, which only made her more anxious. Tiana could feel tears prick at her eyes, and she blinked them away in frustration. She would NOT cry and she would NOT panic - no matter how close she was to both. They had to be somewhere, right?

As she sorted, Tiana scrolled through her memories, trying in vain to remember the last time she had seen them. But once again, the memory eluded her like an object lost in a fog. All that Tiana knew was that if she ever found them (no not if, when. _When_!) she would never misplace them again. Once was enough. She sighed and rested her head in her hands, trying to ignore the feeling of dread in her stomach. This sort of thing never happened to her. She was usually so organized! What could it possibly have been that made her lose something so important?

She could hear Naveen's footsteps clomping up the stairs and into their room, bringing her back to reality. "Well, well, well," he said. "Never, in all my years would I have guessed this of you."

Tiana raised her head, and found her husband casually leaning against the doorframe, giving her those bedroom eyes that usually made her heart flutter but right now she wasn't in the mood. "What are you talking about?" she asked, turning back to her mess.

"Who would have thought that Princess Tiana… my wife… owner and head chef of _Tiana's Palace_ , one of the most sophisticated and learned women in New Orleans, or dare I say, the world… would own something like this."

Curiosity overcame her, and despite her best interests, Tiana glanced over again. But this time, Naveen was holding something in his hand. Something Tiana knew all too well. It was a well worn paperback novel, with tattered pages, and a cracked spine. On the cover was a man and a woman, both with dark skin, in a passionate embrace. The man was shirtless, and had well defined muscles, especially in his arms, which were around the woman wearing a low cut dress with a tight corset making her breasts appear ready to pop out at the slightest touch. Their faces were inches apart, with lusty eyes gazing at each other, making their intent clear to any who looked at the cover. _The Royal Rascal_ was written in faded red font above the two lovers.

Tiana felt her face flush. "Where did you get that?"

"In the hall closet," Naveen smirked. "It was hidden away in a box. Which is where I also found these…" he produced the aforementioned lost earrings, dangling them between his thumb and forefinger before safely placing them in her jewelry box. "I accept thanks in kisses and beignets."

Now she remembered. It all came rushing back to her. In the book, the main heroine, Raina, is being courted by the Prince Jean, even though she is poor. He gives her a pair of earrings, and it took until Tiana's third (ok fourth) reading of the book to realize that she was wearing them on the cover. Tiana had pulled out her own royally gifted earrings to compare the two (and totally not act out scenes to herself in the mirror) when she heard Naveen coming up the steps earlier than usual. In a flash she had hidden both the book and the earrings deep in the hall closet with the intention of getting both of them later, but she had completely forgotten, until now that is. And now her secret was out.

Naveen was still smirking at her. "I thought Charlotte was the one with the prince fetish," he teased, fanning the book at Tiana. "Or did you only develop one _after_ we got married?"

"That book isn't mine," she lied, trying to put a laugh in her voice, but it came out forcefully, and not in the playful way she wanted it to. "It's clearly Lottie's. She must be looking for it. I'll take it to her right now." Tiana reached to grab the book out of Naveen's hand, but he pulled it back, out of her reach.

"Lottie's, huh?" He pulled back the front cover and examined the inside page. "Then why, dear princess, does it have your name written on the inside?" Naveen turned it to face her, and Tiana was faced with her name, written in her own handwriting. Plain as day.

She forced out another chuckle. "How did that get there?" Tiana asked, feigning ignorance.

"It seems to me," Naveen pressed on, "that the owner of this book… you," he gestured towards Tiana, making her roll her eyes, "seems to have read this quite a few times. And that same owner… _you_ ," another eye roll, "also seems to like certain passages more than others. Being the master detective that I am, I deduced this by noticing the way the book falls open - by itself mind you - to the more, how do you say… _arousing_ passages."

Tiana's eyes opened wide, and she made another attempt at a grab, but Naveen was too quick. "How interesting," he continued, "that such a sophisticated person such as yourself would read such passages. It is almost as if you were reading this book just for those parts. Let me read you an example to show you what I mean."

"That's really not necessary."

Ignoring her, Naveen let the book fall open in his hands, and with exaggerated movements, scanned the page with his finger. "I have only skimmed a little of the book myself, mind you, but this seems an excellent passage." He cleared his throat and began to read:

 _Raina moved against him, and it was his turn to gasp._  
 _"Oh… that's quite…" She moved again and Jean smiled_ _as he kissed her._  
 _"Indeed," he said when they parted._  
 _He moved down, suckling the tip of her-_

Tiana covered her ears. "Oh my god, stop."

Thankfully he obliged, but that smirk wasn't stopping anytime soon. Naveen raised an eyebrow at her.

"Alright," Tiana sighed. "I admit it. It's mine."

Naveen's smirk turned into a grin. "And?"

"And what?" she laughed, and began straightening the mess that was her jewelry box.

"And.. when were you going to tell me about this?" Naveen gestured towards the book.

"Obviously never."

Naveen pouted. "But we're married. We're not supposed to have secrets from each other."

"That was one secret I planned to take with me to the grave," Tiana said, and held out her hand. "Now if you'll kindly give it to me, I can get rid of it and we never have to talk about it again."

Naveen found himself clutching at the book. "Get rid of it? But why?"

"Because I don't want you reading those passages to the boys in the band and laughing at me, that's why."

"I would never do that to you, Tiana." Naveen's voice softened. "Your secret is safe with me."

Their eyes met, and Tiana could see he was telling the truth. "You promise?"

"Yes."

"Ok, then." Tiana held out her hand again. "Can I still have it back?"

"Well... " Naveen flipped through the pages. "Would you be mad if I read it?"

Tiana blinked in surprise. "Really? You want to read it?"

Naveen nodded. "I liked what I've read so far. Especially the one scene in chapter 15." His voice grew low and husky, making Tiana's heart flutter. She found herself giggling as he wiggled his eyebrows at her, and with a playful growl picked her up and then leaned so they both fell on the bed. Naveen planted a series of wet sloppy kisses on her neck, making her giggle more. "How about a little reenactment, hmm?"

Even though his breath was hot on her skin, Tiana felt herself shiver with delight. "I think you'll find that chapter 32 is much more interesting," she said, caressing his cheek.

"Oh really?" he asked, rubbing her nose with his. "And what, pray tell, happens in chapter 32?"

Tiana cupped his chin and brought him in for a kiss. "Let me show you."

* * *

With a contented sigh, Tiana settled into bed, bringing her daily ledger with her. When _Tiana's Palace_ first opened, she sometimes spent half the night balancing budgets and planning things for the next day. Now that things had settled down, Tiana hardly needed to double check her figures before bed, but it had become a hard habit to break, despite Naveen frequently telling her that it could wait until morning. He usually didn't complain about it too much if she finished by the time he climbed into bed next to her.

"And how does everything look?" Tiana glanced up to see Naveen in his pjs wiping his face with a washcloth.

"Pretty good, actually," she said, hurrying to finish the last few lines before setting the ledger on the nightstand. "If we get another month or two like this one, we'll be debt free."

Naveen hung up the washcloth and slid into the bed. "Does that mean I can stop getting haircuts from the barber college soon?" Haircuts from the college were free, and for a good reason. Naveen, bless his heart, had been going to them for quite awhile so they could spend what money they had on the restaurant, though he never passed an opportunity to complain about it.

"What's wrong with the barber college?" Tiana asked, teasing him.

He threaded his fingers through his hair. "Can't you see how crooked it is?"

"It is not," Tiana laughed.

"Yes it is, right here." Naveen brought her fingers to the side of his head. Maybe it was a little crooked.

"Well, you make it look good," Tiana said simply.

To this Naveen gave her a grin, making her stomach flip. "You think I am still handsome even with a lopsided haircut?"

"You could make any haircut look good," she replied, and kissed him, sighing into his mouth when he kissed her back, enjoying the minty taste from his toothpaste. "Mmm another," Tiana murmured when he pulled away. Naveen was happy to oblige.

"I missed you, today," he said once they parted. He traced a finger down her cheek. "You were so busy around the _Palace_ I hardly saw you." Usually Naveen had to be pulled away from flirting and kissing his wife during the day. It was one of the gifts (and curses) of working together.

"I know, I'm sorry." Tiana gave a weary sigh and settled into his open arms, resting her weary head on his chest. "Everything seemed to go wrong in the kitchen, and I couldn't get away." As enjoyable as it was living her dream, days like today made it exhausting. But it made nights like this, where it was just her and Naveen, all the more special. "I looked for you at lunch though, but Louis said you stepped out. Where were you?"

Naveen fiddled with her hair. "Well uh.." he laughed. "I finished reading the _Royal Rascal_ this morning."

Tiana lifted her head and gave him a surprised look. "You mean you actually read it?"

He nodded. "Well, I wanted to read chapter 32 for myself."

She couldn't help the goofy grin on her face remembering. Maybe they could have another reenactment tonight. "And? What did you think?" Tiana asked.

"I loved it!" he replied with more enthusiasm than Tiana would have expected. "The plot was good too, of course."

"Of course," Tiana laughed.

"That Lord Géraud was a real jerk."

"I know, right?"

"To blackmail Raina into marrying him and almost kill Prince Jean?" Naveen scoffed, making Tiana laugh again.

She let her finger trace over his chest. "But it all worked out in the end."

"Mmm. Yes." He smiled at her touch, and brought her hand to his lips, gently kissing her fingertips one by one. "After a lot of unnecessary drama."

"What do you mean?"

"There would not have been so many problems if Jean had simply given up the throne for his love," Naveen said simply. "Jean made it sound so complicated," he moved Tiana's hand to cover his heart, "but it is not such a hard choice in reality."

All at once her heart swelled with love for her husband. "You're just a better man than he is," she said, and kissed him. They shared a tender smile after they pulled apart, delighting in this thing they shared between them. "You didn't answer my question," Tiana whispered after a moment.

"And that was?"

"Where were you during lunch? You said you finished the book this morning."

"Ah. Well, I uh.. Let me show you." Naveen rolled out of bed and began to search through his things. Tiana rolled to her side, curious, but also enjoying the view of his backside. She smoothed her hand over the sheets that still carried his warmth, willing him to hurry back so they could kiss some more.

"Ah ha!" Naveen said triumphantly, though he hid the object behind his back as he gave her a nervous smile.

"What is it?"

"Well I went to the bookstore during lunch," he explained.

Tiana raised her eyebrows. This certainly wasn't where she had suspected this to go. "And?"

"And… I got this." From behind his back, Naveen showed her another paperback, with a familiar looking couple on the cover, but this time with the title _The Royal Rendezvous_. "It is the sequel," he explained, climbing back into bed.

Tiana gasped and grabbed it from him, flipping it over so she could read the synopsis. "I didn't know there was a sequel."

"I think it only came out recently." Naveen bit his lip, and lightly traced her arm with his finger. Tentatively he said, "I thought we could read it together."

Tiana smiled. "You mean take turns?"

"Well, I thought... Perhaps out loud?" Naveen asked, then seeing Tiana's growing grin, he gained confidence and continued explaining. "The chapters are not too long, by the look of it, so we can read one a night, and alternate who reads."

Tiana pressed her lips to his in a soft, tender kiss. So happy that she could share this goofy love of trashy romance books with her equally goofy husband. "I love it," she said. "I think it's a great idea."

"Really?" "Yes. Here," she handed him the book and nestled against him once more. His arm found its way around her, holding her close while she rested her head on his chest again. "Since it was your idea, you can start."

"Alright. Should I make voices for the characters?"

"If you didn't I'd be very disappointed."

Naveen laughed, cleared his throat, and began to read. "Chapter one."

* * *

A/N: Now posted with cover art done by my very dear friend Camila! You can see her other artwork on her tumblr with the username camiinoa

Thank you all for the lovely comments! They mean the world to me.


End file.
